Children at Haringey’s Stamford Hill Primary took part in extra special cookery class when Michelin starred chef Tom Aikens visited the school. The celebrity chef shared some healthy cooking tips to help mark the London launch of a new innovative app that helps parents see how much sugar there is in everyday food and drink. The free Sugar Smart app, created as part of the Change4Life Sugar Smart campaign, works by scanning the barcode of products and revealing the amount of total sugar content in cubes and grams.
Research shows that on average 4-10 year olds consume more than 5,500 sugar cubes – or 22kg worth of sugar – per year, well in excess of recommended levels, increasing risk of obesity and life threatening health problems such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
In Haringey, where obesity threatens one in three children and is estimated to cost the local NHS in excess of £80 million a year, many local schools, businesses and voluntary groups have joined the Haringey Obesity Alliance – a group working to tackle the obesity problem and encourage healthier living.
Stamford Hill Primary School, a member of the alliance and a winner of the Healthy Schools (extranal link) Silver Award, has pledged to help children stay healthy by increasing PE sessions to two hours per week and boosting the numbers of children attending a free, healthy breakfast club.
Cllr Peter Morton, Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing and Chair of the Haringey Obesity Alliance said:
“It’s fantastic to see children at Stamford Hill Primary School leading the way in the fight against harmful sugar consumption and childhood obesity.
We all know that too much sugar is bad for our health, but by clearly showing how much sugar is in our food and drink, Sugar Smart will be a powerful tool for healthier living.
Since its launch last summer, more than 65 organisations have joined the Haringey Obesity Alliance, helping to better coordinate local action against obesity so that we can create an environment where people find it easier to make healthier choices.”
Kathleen O’Sullivan, Headteacher at Stamford Hill Primary School, said:
“We were delighted to welcome Tom Aikens to Stamford Hill Primary School to engage the children on how to eat less sugar. We all know that children eat too much sugar so it’s great that this campaign offers helpful tips for parents on how to cut down. The new ‘Food Detectives’ lesson plans provide a great way of getting children thinking about how much sugar is in the everyday food and drink we all consume. By teaching them about sugar consumption at a young age, we hope that they will get into good habits which will set them up for life.”
Tom Aikens, Michelin star winning head chef, said:
“Reducing sugar consumption is something I’m really passionate about so I’m really pleased to support the new Change4Life Sugar Smart campaign. I think it’s incredibly important to not only highlight the harms of eating too much sugar, but also show children low sugar options that they’ll really enjoy.”
For more information about the Sugar Smart campaign, including details of how you can download the app please visit the Chnage4Life website (external link).
To find out more about the Haringey Obesity Alliance, including how you or your organisation can join to help fight obesity in Haringey please visit the Haringey Obesity Alliance webpage.
